Advice
by Purple Ink
Summary: Harry meets a girl while taking a walk out in the gardens. He gives her advice not to dump her boyfriend, but in doing so, he doesn't realize that he has just saved his life!


Hello everyone! This is a short little story I wrote, nothing much to say about it. Nothing is mine, of course, it all belongs to J.K Rowling.  
  
1 Advice  
  
  
  
"I'm telling you Harry, the Quidditch match was not your fault!" Ron yelled. Gryffindor had lost to Slytherin 160-40, and Harry had in his mind that he was to blame. Normally, he would not be so down, but the fact that he had lost to Draco Malfoy had a small part to do with it - and this loss also put Gryffindor out of the running for the Quidditch cup.  
  
"Quite the contrary, actually," Harry grumbled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to take a walk." Harry made for the portrait hole.  
  
"Suit yourself. I'm going up to bed." Ron picked up his books and set towards the boys' dorms. The common room was now deserted except for Harry and Hermione (who was doing homework or studying or something).  
  
Harry soon found himself outside in the gardens. It was a lovely April night and the after-rain smell hung in the hair. He sat down on the bench.  
  
But it was already occupied.  
  
A girl was sitting there, sobbing. Harry could not see her face as it was dark, but he thought he recognized her voice slightly.  
  
"Uh, hello?" Harry asked very slowly, for if he were caught crying in the gardens her would be very embarrassed (but he never did, of course!). The sobbing ceased for a moment, and the girl let out a loud sigh. "What's wrong? Oh, I'm sorry, it's really none of my business." Harry turned red, but you couldn't have been able to tell in the dark.  
  
"Oh, that's ok," the girl slid over on the bench so Harry could sit down. He didn't. "I'm just having boyfriend troubles, that's all," she said bitterly.  
  
"Yeah. I'm having, er, personal troubles I guess." Harry kicked a stone. Hard. "I'm sure you saw the match today, and that's why."  
  
"Actually, I didn't," the girl said in an odd tone Harry often heard Dumbledore use. "My NEWTS are coming up, you see. Study, study, study, that's all I have time for. Of course, it would be nice if certain people would make time for me." She grumbled.  
  
"Oh?" Harry inquired.  
  
"Well, he and his friends are always off terrorizing people-" He must know Fred and George, thought Harry, "-and I mean, we never get to spend any time alone. It's just that," she let out a long, exasperated sigh. "It's just that we're graduating soon, and I love him, I really do, and this could be it, you know?" She said wistfully. "I just don't know what to do. Today we had to break off a date at Hogsmeade because he wanted to pull a prank. I wish I were higher on his list of priorities than his friends."  
  
Harry ignored the fact that there was no scheduled trip today to Hogsmeade. "So is that the only problem? That you don't spend enough time together?" He regretted it as soon as he said it. He made it sound like a weak problem, but the girl seemed to take no notice.  
  
"Yeah. Do you think-" she paused for a moment. "Do you think I should break up with him?" She asked, sadly. Harry shook his head, but doubting she could see in the dark he added:  
  
"No, since you really love him. Have you talked to him about it?"  
  
The girl hesitated for a moment. "No, not really, actually. I guess I should, huh?"  
  
"That's what I think. Not that I have any experience in that area," he said bitterly.  
  
"Ah, it will come. What year are you in?" Harry thought he could hear a smile in her voice, if that was possible.  
  
"Fifth." Harry replied.  
  
"I remember mine quite well. We starting dating in our fifth year," Harry thought he could hear her grin again. "Did you mention Quidditch?"  
  
"Yeah." Harry looked down, forgetting that this girl should know all about him. "I'm the Gryffindor seeker, and I lost the game for us today." Harry expected the usual 'Oh, you're Harry Potter?' but it didn't come.  
  
"Have you lost many matches?" the girl asked. He ignored the fact that the girl should know this if she kept up with Quidditch at all, and admitted:  
  
"No, I haven't actually."  
  
"Then your team wouldn't be where they are if it weren't for you!"  
  
Harry thought about this. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He turned. "I think I'll go back now, thanks a lot."  
  
"No, thank you for your advice. If it hadn't talked to you, I'd be thinking of breaking it off with my boyfriend tomorrow."  
  
Harry muttered a "No problem" and trudged back towards the castle. Then he remembered something and turned back round. "Hey, what's your n-"  
  
But the girl was gone.  
  
Finding this all very odd indeed, Harry headed back. Ron was already asleep, so he didn't tell him about the conversation with the strange girl.  
  
Harry had his usual nightmare, the one with Voldemort laughing, his mother pleading, and the flash of green light.  
  
That was it - his mother's screams. That's where he'd heard the girl's voice before!  
  
Harry woke up in a cold sweat. Had he just advised his mother not to dump his dad?  
  
**  
  
Did you like that? Please review if you did! I had a little fun writing it, I don't know why. Let's just pretend Lily has a time-turner and uses it when she wants to get away from it all.  
  
Hmm...that could be another interesting set-up for another fic! 


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